THE $10 BILLION CLUB: Meet the most valuable startups in the US

Over the past
several years, we've seen a rise in private companies valued at
more than one billion dollars - the so-called "unicorns."

But when too many startups became unicorns, a new class of
startups emerged: "decacorns,"companies
valued at more than $10 billion.

These are the Ubers and Airbnbs of the world; the startups that
steadfastly remain private companies as they load up with
hundreds of millions of dollars in funding at ever higher
valuations.

With help from Pitchbook, we've compiled a list of the US
startups valued at more than $10 billion by private investors.
Whether they eventually go public, or stay privately held, these
companies already have a huge influence on the tech industry.

Here are the seven most valuable startups in the US:

7. Dropbox

Handout/Getty Images

Valuation: $10 billion

CEO Drew Houston

Dropbox reached its $10 billion valuation in 2014 after a $617
million funding round. Since then, the company has shifted its
focus to business customers, launching Dropbox
Enterprise in 2015.

The company began to cut back its lavish
spending on employee perks in 2016, something that was
costing the company $25,000 per year per employee. While Dropbox
doesn't disclose its financials, it's reported to have generated
more than $500 million in revenue last year. CEO Drew Houston
said in 2016 that the company is
free cash flow positive, which is a milestone for a
fast-growth tech company.

News broke in July that Dropbox was working with Goldman
Sachs on the paperwork for an initial public offering,
but it's looking like the company won't file until at least next
year.

6. Samumed

San Diego-based Samumed is a health tech company focused on
reversing aging. The startup has attracted $300 million in
venture funding and a massive valuation, all thanks to a pipeline
of what could be revolutionary treatments to
regenerate hair, skin, bones, and joints.

Samumed was founded in 2008 and came out of stealth mode
about two years ago when it started presenting some of its data.
The startup is in the midst of several clinical trials and
completed a 52-week Phase II clinical trial of an
osteoarthritis treatment in July.

5. Pinterest

In June 2017, Pinterest raised $150 million in funding
from existing investors at a $12.3 billion valuation, bringing
the app maker's valuation up slightly from $11 billion in April
2015.

The service, a combination of social network and online
scrapbook, has more than
175 million monthly active users, over half of whom are
international. The company has expanded its focus in recent
months to overseas markets
like the UK, France, Germany, Japan, and Brazil, and has doubled
down on increasing the advertising on its
platform. Last August, Pinterest acquired online bookmarking
service Instapaper.

Rumors swirled throughout 2016 that Pinterest was on the brink of
going public, but its most recent influx of funding means an IPO
could be delayed even further.

4. WeWork

Scott Legato/Getty

Valuation: $21 billion

WeWork cofounders Miguel McKelvey and Adam
Neumann

Coworking startup WeWork has had a busy year. It raised
$4.4 billion in funding from
SoftBank Group and SoftBank Vision Fund over the course of
several months; bought the Lord & Taylor Fifth Avenue
building for $850 million to serve as
its new headquarters; is adding a second headquarters at the new
Salesforce Tower in San Francisco; led a $32 million funding round in
New York startup The Wing; and has bought several other startups,
most recently spending $200 million on Meetup.

WeWork is currently New York's highest-valued
startup.

3. SpaceX

REUTERS/Stephen Lam

Valuation: $21.1 billion

CEO Elon Musk

SpaceX raised $350 million in new funding last July, putting its
valuation over $21 billion.

The aerospace startup, founded by billionaire Elon Musk,
has successfully pulled off 16 rocket launches in that last year,
about double the amount from 2016. But SpaceX has also seen
various setbacks along the way. In September 2016, a SpaceX
rocket
exploded during a launch-pad test,
destroying a satellite Facebook intended to lease. More
recently, the company's next generation rocket engine blew up during a test.

In March of 2017, Airbnb raised a $1 billion funding
round that valued the company at $31 billion. In November, it
acquired a startup called Accomable, which helps people
with disabilities find accommodations on the road.

Now, Airbnb is reportedly keeping a close
eye on Spotify's rumoured route to going public through
a direct listing - if it goes well, we may see a publicly traded
Airbnb stock next year.

1. Uber

Getty

Valuation: $68 billion

CEO Dara Khosrowshahi

Despite a year of upheaval, scandal, and legal challenges, Uber
is still the most valuable startup in the US.

Finances aside, Uber will likely be glad to see 2017 come to a
close. The startup has been accused of gender
discrimination and sexual harassment, is involved
in an acrimonious lawsuit with
self-driving car firm Waymo, and has had to replace CEO Travis
Kalanick, who stepped down amid the scandals
and the sudden death of his mother. Dara Khosrowshahi was named
CEO in August.